Charlton Board of Health tables camping dispute, hears landfill capping is on track

CHARLTON — January 7, 2025 — Charlton Board of Health tabled action on a possible summer camping event and heard that the town's Flint Road landfill capping project is on track for a late spring or early summer bid. Environmental consultant Gary Magnuson told the board that a notice of technical deficiency from MassDEP — prompted largely by a question about minimal landfill debris on an abutting property owned by the Jackson family — has been addressed and that a permit decision is expected in time to begin construction this year. The Finance Committee has authorized borrowing of up to $2 million for the closure, with a credit of several hundred thousand dollars expected from accepting Class 97 fill material to grade the site. On PFAS, Magnuson reported a persistent anomaly: surface water entering the landfill property from upgradient tests higher for PFAS, between 50 and 100 parts per trillion, than water leaving the property at around 30, with a 14-sample upstream tracing study pending results. The board also learned that bottled water delivery has been discontinued at four homes with installed PFAS filtration systems after MassDEP confirmed the units are working effectively.